Expert explains why there are so many wasps this year

Created: 08/17/2022, 18:33

By: Johanna Werning

This year there are particularly many wasps in Cologne.

Pest controllers count four times as many wasp nests as in 2021. When is improvement in sight?

Cologne – Whether you're having a picnic in the park or barbecuing on the balcony or in the garden, things are buzzing all over Cologne again.

But unlike honey bees, wasps can often not only be annoying, but can also be aggressive under certain circumstances.

Especially when sweet drinks or delicious food are involved, the yellow-black insects are particularly pushy.

Especially this year, the "troublemakers" seem to be everywhere.

But, is this really the truth?

24RHEIN asked experts.

Cologne: More wasps than usual on the move - between 10 and 20 wasp missions per day

This year there are particularly many wasps in Cologne.

© Sabine Seiter/Imago

Is the Cologne wasp population particularly large this year?

"Yes," says Dieter Busch from the "Kohlhaas & Honecker" pest control team, which works in Cologne, Bonn, Hürth, Alzey, Düsseldorf and Saarbrücken.

"In 2022, our company will have about four times as many wasp nests as in 2021." The Cologne-based pest controller travels between 10 and 20 times a day.

"We have been keeping statistics for years, there is always a weak wasp year and then a strong wasp year," says the pest controller.

The German Nature Conservation Union (NABU) also counted more wasps than usual this year: “The warm and dry spring has created favorable conditions for the development of wasp and hornet colonies.

Now in summer the colonies have reached their highest number of individuals.”

Wasp plague in Cologne: "It will be quieter from the end of September"

But how long does the wasp plague last?

"From the end of September it will be quieter, but we still had nests in October," explains Dieter Busch.

And NABU wasp expert Joachim Eberhardt also explains: “The time for wasps will be over by autumn at the latest.

Then the colonies die and only this year’s queens winter elsewhere.” 

Wasp plague in Cologne: how to behave properly - tips

Until then, keep calm: “Wasps do not normally react aggressively when they are looking for food.

However, they feel threatened by hectic or panic movements.

They should therefore be avoided in the vicinity of wasps and hornets," says Eberhardt.

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Tips against wasps

► Keep calm.

► Don't lash out.

Avoid hectic and panic movements.

► Spray wasps with water and the troublemakers will disappear.

► Cover sweet food and drinks outdoors.

► Do not drink from open bottles, but from straws.

► Anyone who discovers a wasp nest should call in pest controllers and not try to remove the nest on their own.

And pest controller Busch also recommends: "Always keep calm, don't hit and very important - as a layman, don't fight wasps." Because that can be quite dangerous.

Anyone who discovers a wasp nest at home should call experts.

"Because we have a protective suit," explains Busch.

In addition, wasps are protected under the Federal Nature Conservation Act, according to the pest controller.

According to the catalog of fines, a fine of up to 50,000 euros is due in NRW if you kill particular wasp species.

NABU also recommends only having wasp nests removed in an emergency.

"Even if wasps and hornets are just annoying troublemakers for some people, one important aspect should not be forgotten: they are extremely useful."

Because the wasps feed “a huge number of other insects such as mosquitoes, flies and horseflies to their brood and thus contribute to the ecological balance.”